Capital City River Run Half Marathon - 2015

Capital City River Run Half Marathon - Lansing, Michigan

  The Capital City River Run half marathon was the first half marathon I ran back in 2007. Up to that point, the longest race I ran was 10 miles. I figured if I could run 10 miles, what's another 5K? The experience I had in that race helped get me to really enjoy running half marathons. After the 2007 race, I ran four more half marathons. This would be my first year returning to Lansing to run the race again. I figured the course had changed some, but the overall experience should be the same.

Pre-Race

  I started to get things ready to leave the house around 6:00 am since I wanted to have enough time to find parking and have some quiet time before starting my warm-up. It was a bit cold outside, so I made sure to have my thick 'Do You Want It?' t-shirt over the tech t-shirt I was racing in, and a hooded sweatshirt on over that.

  I was surprised by how easy it was easy for me to find a parking spot near the start/finish line. I took advantage of the extra time to walk there and take in the race atmosphere. The race atmosphere is always great. You're able to watch other runners gather, stretch, get warmed up and watch the race volunteers help get the finishing touches setup for the race.

  Around 7:15am, I started to get warmed up for the race. I did a few minutes of dynamic stretches to help get my body loosened up and ready for running. I got my warm-up mile in and worked up a good sweat. It was great finally feeling warm enough to where I was able to take off my t-shirt and hooded sweatshirt and not be cold.

  I dropped my shirts off in my truck and started to make my way to the starting area. I saw people holding pace signs to help let runners know where they should line up. I'm glad this race had pacers. For 13.1 miles, it helps you along your run to see a sign bouncing up and down during the race to know about what pace you're running.

  A few minutes before the start of the race they played the national anthem. I really wish they would announce the start of the national anthem a bit louder at races. Again, I was near people who had their hats on and were talking through the first half of the national anthem. It's a shame more people can't give the flag and national anthem the courtesy and respect it deserves. Even if you don't know the words, take your hat off and face the flag - it's easy!

Race

    The race started on time at 8:00 am. There wasn't a wave start. When the air horn went off, we all made our way across the start line. I tried focusing on running at an easy pace. I didn't want to get caught up with the emotions of the race. The first part of the race I wasn't too familiar with. It wasn't until a half mile or so when we turned down Grand River where it looked familiar to me.

  We ran down Grand River all the way down to Hagadorn by Michigan State University's campus. I felt really comfortable. This is where I've done a lot of my training runs. To help keep my mind off running too fast, I took in the scenery - the campus and all the trees. As we made our way to the start of the River Trail the pack I was with started to thin out some. This was about the 5 mile mark of the course. I picked up the pace a bit to get near the next pack so I wasn't running by myself.

  The first part of the River Trail had us running through the heart of Michigan State University's campus. I felt my body was almost in cruise control as I've ran this route many times before. I was rewarded by this feeling as my 5 and 6 mile splits were only a few seconds apart - not bad! After I passed the 6th mile marker, I kept telling myself I was almost done and it's only 4 more miles until the 10th mile marker, then there's only a 5K left. I try to find ways of breaking down the remaining miles of a training run or race into more manageable chunks. This always helps.

  I knew instinctively when we hit the 8th mile marker. That's where we had a small loop to continue on the River Trail, where it was more of an isolated path through the woods. This part of the path always has great scenery. We run along the river, where you can watch the river flow and see how some of the trees have fallen into the water. I had to slow things down a bit as I felt my right thigh started to cramp up some. It wasn't too bad - just enough to let me know it was there. I focused more on keeping with my current pack than what my time was.

  The 10th mile marker had us run past the Potter Park Zoo. There was only a 5K left. I told myself I've done 5Ks before and I could finish this. There was a small hill (bridge) we had to run over. I was expecting it and tried to keep my pace going with the pack as we made our way over it. Thankfully, the rest of the course was flat after this. The pack I was with started to thin out as people started to pick up the pace towards the finish line. I held my pace steady and knew I wasn't going for a personal best, but instead was looking to have fun and cross the finish line.

  After we made it past the 12th mile marker, I reminded myself it was only 1.1 miles to go. I was starting to feel my legs becoming fatigued. More people started to pick up the pace towards the finish line. I found a few people who looked like they were running the same pace as I was, and ran with them. As we got closer to the 13th mile marker, even they started to pick up the pace. At this point in the race I couldn't hold back too much more. I decided to pick up the pace to keep up with them. Keeping up with them helped me keep focus on the finish line and not feel like I was in slow-motion getting passed. I wasn't sprinting by any means, but I could tell I was running a bit faster. As we rounded the corner past the 13th mile marker, the sound of the crowd and the race announcer filled the air. I ran the last .1 mile as fast as my legs would carry me. I crossed the finish line in 2:30:23. Not bad. Especially considering I was looking for a 2:30 finish time!

Post Race

   I was exhausted as I crossed the finish line. I had to get off to the side and catch my breath before I continued on through the race corral. I was handed the finisher's medal and a bottle of water. I was impressed with this year's medal. It was a lot thicker and had more designs on it than the medal I got back in 2007. It also had a nice, colorful enameling to it, which was a nice touch.

The 2007 finisher's medal is on the left. The 2015 finisher's medal is on the right.

  I continued walking through the race corral to where the rest of the race food and drinks were. I grabbed a bagel and banana and kept walking for a few more minutes to help keep my legs loose. I found a spot out of the way to get some stretching in. I wasn't as concerned about a proper cool-down as I was about getting a good stretching session in. I made sure to stretch my upper-body as well, since I had a pretty hard workout too.

Overall Comments

   I really enjoyed this race. It's a fast flat course that takes you through campus and keeps you on the River Trail. The course was well marked and had a good amount of course marshalls to help direct runners and cheer us on. There isn't as many people cheering you along as with other races. A lot of that has to do with us running along the River Trail.

Would I run this race again - Definitely!
Would I recommend this race to others - Yes!

Running Conference - Next Steps

**Continuation of thoughts about a running conference**

I've still been thinking about getting a running conference together. I think having it as an online, live stream using a video chat (like Google Hangouts) would be the best way for getting people together and to provide the ability for people to ask questions during a discussion.

One possible barrier I see is getting other people involved. I know public (or in this case virtual) speaking can be intimidating. It's really not that bad! Being able to talk about something you're knowledgeable on and passionate about is easy. The topic you talk about is something about running (most likely already passionate about) and something you know has helped you or something you've discovered that's so awesome you want to share it with other runners.

There are many different topic areas for discussions. Though running is a simple sport (just put one foot in front of the other - repeat), it has so many different parts. Some quick things that come to mind:

* Is there such a thing as good running form
* Keeping track of your run (paper or electronic)
* What to eat for a pre-run or pre-race meal
* How to run on a treadmill (speed vs. incline)
* Good gyms to work out at(or avoid)
* Running solo vs. running in a group
* How to get out the door for early morning runs
* How to fit running into a busy schedule
* Essential running clothing every runner should have
* Why getting properly fitted for running shoes matters
* Calling out a specific race that other runners should run (or avoid)

These discussions could be short or long, depending on how long you want to talk about them. The goal is to help share something about running that you know about and use when you run.

If this is something you would like to help out with, please let me know. I'm on Twitter, @deerfoot95 and my email is deerfoot95@gmail.com

Thank you!

Time To Get Things Moving

A year ago I had an idea about a running conference. A one day (or however short or long) event where people could talk and learn more about running. I believe the best way for people to learn is through listening to others talk about their experiences and what worked for them and what to avoid doing.

I know getting a large group of people physically together would be a huge task. My thoughts to get this started would be to have it be a video conference. I've been part of events where you have speakers join in a Google chat and it's streamed live on YouTube. This gives the opportunity for people to speak and share their experiences, and have people listen and give the opportunity to ask questions in a chat during the talk.

With the idea of it being a Google chat, it gives people the flexibility to show their face when they're speaking, show a document or article, or just talk without having to show their face.

I'm not thinking of any set time limits for each discussion. I would hope the discussions last at least 10 minutes before the next person started their discussion. Based on the amount of interest, this idea could last 10 minutes or it could turn into a full afternoon.

Because this is still in the planning stage, I don't have a set date when I'm hoping to do this. I'm thinking sometime in the spring of 2016 would be a good time though. That's when many runners start to get out and start running again after winter hibernation.

I know there are a lot of different areas of running that could be used as discussion areas. I'm not thinking of any particular theme for all the talks except it somehow relates to running.

If this is something you are interested in helping with, have discussion ideas you would like to hear presented, or any general feedback, please email me at deerfoot95@gmail.com or find me on Twitter at @deerfoot95.

Thank you!